Pouding Chômeur – Poor Man’s Pudding

Day 10 of my “12 Days of Baked Goods” series!

Growing up in Quebec, my sister and I always loved Pouding Chômeur, literally translated as “poor man’s pudding. It was dubbed as such because the recipe became popular during the depression when the cake in this recipe was replaced by day-old bread.

A little goes a long way with the portions as this dessert is quite sweet. Don’t omit the requisite vanilla ice cream.

Cake Batter Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup whole milk

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup boiling water
• ¼ cup butter, softened

Cake Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and the baking powder. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2 minutes, until fully incorporated.
3. Add ½ of the milk then ½ of the flour mixture to the butter, mix then repeat with the rest of the milk and flour.
4. Butter or coat in cooking spray a 13×9 baking pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, set aside.

Sauce Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add all the sauce ingredients and whisk to blend. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute whisking continuously.
3. Pour the sauce over the batter in the pan – do NOT mix. Bake for 45 minutes.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Yields 10-12 servings.

Cheers,

Veronique